Lechia
To the east of Allemagne lies the populous and powerful province of Lechia. * Gunmaking industry is substantially behind Allemagne but is catching up fairly quickly since it now has access to Allemagne techniques * Currently, most gunmakers and smiths can make wheellocks, with some being able to make snaplocks * Those that are serious about guns generally important flintlocks from Allemagne * Other elements of smithing are actually ahead of Allemagne since Allemagne has specialized extensively * Lechian metalworking is far ahead when it comes to construction, tools, and jewelry * Lechian farming is also a fair bit ahead of Allemagnian farming since Allemagne relies so heavily on elven miracle crops * Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Name History Annexation Due to recent events, Lechia has been annexed by Allemagne and is now being slowly integrated into the Reich. Once that process is complete, Lechia will be awarded the rights of a traditional Allemagne elector state (more than one vote may be given due to the vast size of Lechia). The annexation itself was a fairly simple affair, but the preceding events were anything but. Over the course of the last several decades, the coffers of the Lechian crown all but dried up, primarily due to an increasingly insufficient administrative system. As populations grew in the west, north, and east of the country, the collection and transportation of taxes, both in food and coins, failed to increase accordingly. Due to increasing populations in the central and southern regions as well, that stagnant income became less and less sufficient for operating the government. Approximately a decade ago, the military stopped receiving funding in an effort to reduce spending. This has led to a gradual reduction in military forces in Lechia, reducing one of the proudest and strongest militaries in the region to a mere fraction of its former power. This would have been a footnote in history if disaster had not struck Lechia four years ago, when a horde of minotaurs stormed the country from the northeastern border. Over the course of the next year, this mindless assault ravaged the outlying regions of Lechia, driving refugees to the central cities, which had long since barred their gates. The military made a valiant stand, but was broken in a matter of months. At this point, Allemagne offered to save Lechia under one condition: complete annexation. Lechia refused as both the king and nobles were unwilling to accept the reduction in autonomy and power that would accompany such a course of action. Of course, the situation worsened two years ago as the minotaurs finally made their way towards the heart of Lechia, where they began to terrorize the refugees camped outside the safety of the walled cities. While this didn't particularly bother the nobles, the idea of losing their cities and what little remained of their power did, so consent was finally sent to Allemagne. Seeing the golden opportunity that they had been presented with, the Reich had been preparing for this eventuality since the first reports of minotaur attacks in Lechia arrived in Allemagne. A dozen Reich regiments had amassed on the border and had been quietly drilling and preparing for the signal to cross into Lechia. In addition to their standard supplies, orders were given to double pay for the duration of the campaign and amass a huge surplus of non-perishable foodstuffs, measures which were meant to deter any pillaging during the reclamation of Lechia. When the signal did arrive, the force was ready, immediately marching into western Lechia and heading to relieve the defenders of the endangered cities. However, special care was taken to travel through every village, town, and city that was remotely near the route in order to build goodwill through demonstrations of power and honor. If supplies were needed, those would also be distributed. When the 12,000 men did arrive at the first beseiged city, they executed their strategy with rather brutal efficiency. The vast majority of the minotaur horde was gunned down before it even reached the Reich lines, and while the survivors did cause several hundred casualties, they were promptly put down as well. The remainder of the minotaurs were then slowly hunted down across Lechia while the Kaiser and several Elector Counts made their way to the capital of Lechia. Once there, the annexation was formalized without any problems aside from some minor grumbling of nobles. Lengthy administrative reform plans were already being drawn up in Allemagne at that point, with a large number of officials preparing to embark to their new posts in Lechia, where they were to oversee a series of changes to supply lines, census-taking techniques, and the administrative divisions of the region. The king of Lechia was extremely conflicted about the situation. On one hand, the country direly needed reform if it wanted to keep up with its population growth and the other nations in the region. He could not propose these changes himself since they would be incredibly unpopular and would likely lead to his exile or assassination. For this and the salvation of Lechia, he was indebted to Allemagne. On the other hand, he had serious concerns about the direction of the country under Allemagne. The proud traditions of the Lechian people may be replaced with those of a foreign power. His own power and that of the other nobles would be dramatically reduced, which may even lead to civil war or dark plots to oust their new overlords. For these reasons, the king fears the future and what it may hold for his people. The nobles are also quite conflicted about their status, but for very different reasons. From the moment that annexation was finalized, the nobles pointed fingers at one another, distributing blame for their current circumstances quite evenly throughout every corner of the realm. Some blamed others for inefficient taxation in their provinces, others blamed some for failing to pay the military out of their personal fortunes, and, most dangerously of all, everyone blamed everyone else of being an Allemagne sympathizer that secretly orchestrated the entire catastrophe (or at least part of it). Every noble entertained the idea that some rival noble had conspired with the Allemagne to push the annexation deal through in order to secure a position of power in the new government. While the wiser nobles dismissed these ideas relatively quickly, the more malleable did not and let their fringe fears coalesce into deep grudges. For now, the noble courts of Lechia are a very dangerous place to be, regardless of who you are. The peasants are quite a bit more unified in their opinion of the Allemagne, which is one of the primary reasons why nobles have largely ignored the idea of open rebellion. Without the support of the peasants, it would be impossible to mount a resistance of any reasonable scope, and the peasants most certainly would not support the nobles. To them, the nobles not only took their gold and food and wasted it, but also completely failed to pay the military and then barred the gates of their cities, dooming the rest of the nation to the savagery of the minotaurs. There could not possibly be a starker contrast between them and the gallant forces of Allemagne that marched with honor and courage to rid the land of their neighbors of foul hellspawn. Thanks to this sentiment, many Lechian peasants are excited at the opportunity to serve in the Reich military, including those former members of the Lechian armed forces that left due to a lack of pay. The merchants and craftsmen of Lechia are by far the least passionate about the annexation, with many excited by the prospect of future opportunities for trade with the rest of the Reich without tariffs. Others are worried by the short-term ramifications of the annexation on their profits, since the restructuring will surely lead to some discomfort and inefficiency, while others still are positively salivating at the idea of making a killing in the confusion and disorganization that will surely grip the region for months to come. Annexation officially began a year ago in earnest, with administrative reforms starting at a similar time. While annexation has officially completed, it will not be concretely resolved until the reforms complete as well, which could potentially take up to five more years due to the extreme size of the Lechian state and population. While many Lechians are hopeful for the future, many are also rightfully apprehensive. Current State Government Provinces * Wodz - new capital, erected to ease annexation * Szvawa - old capital, sprawling city barely capable of sustaining itself * Kvak - traditionalist bastion * Blinum - ravaged trade center of the east * Upper Silowice - modern industrial center * Lower Silowice - progressive bastion that arose adjacent to US * Morze - coastal region that grew wealthy from trade, slants progressive * Vohlhia - gargantuan fortress that withstood the minotaur tide * Kurlech - northern colonial holding, highly in tune with nature and insular * Mavos - home of the military, refused to heed the call against the minotaurs and now struggles against Allemagne International Relations Military Organizations Institutions Demographics Creatures